[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 42 (Tuesday, March 3, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1312-S1313]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 1362. Mr. UDALL (for himself and Mr. Grassley) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 2657, to
support innovation in advanced geothermal research and development, and
for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the end, add the following:
TITLE IV--MINERAL LEASING
SEC. 4001. INCREASED ONSHORE OIL AND GAS ROYALTY RATES.
Section 17 of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 226) is
amended--
(1) by striking ``12.5'' each place it appears and
inserting ``18.75''; and
(2) by striking ``12\1/2\ per centum'' each place it
appears and inserting ``18.75 percent''.
SEC. 4002. INCREASED MINIMUM BID AMOUNT.
Section 17(b) of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 226(b))
is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1)(B)--
(A) by striking the subparagraph designation and all that
follows through the period at the end of the first sentence
and inserting the following:
``(B) National minimum acceptable bid.--
``(i) In general.--Except as provided in clauses (ii) and
(v), the national minimum acceptable bid shall be $10 per
acre.'';
(B) in the second sentence--
(i) by striking ``Thereafter, the Secretary'' and inserting
the following:
``(ii) Adjustment.--The Secretary''; and
(ii) by striking ``is necessary: (i) to enhance'' and
inserting the following: ``is necessary--
``(I) to enhance''; and
(iii) by striking ``(ii) to promote'' and inserting the
following:
``(II) to promote'';
(C) in the third sentence, by striking ``Ninety days'' and
inserting the following:
``(iii) Notification.--90 days'';
(D) in the fourth sentence, by striking ``The proposal''
and inserting the following:
``(iv) NEPA.--The proposal''; and
(E) by adding at the end the following:
``(v) Exception.--To ensure a return of fair market value,
as determined by the Secretary, the Secretary may establish
in a notice of competitive lease sale a minimum acceptable
bid applicable to the lease sale or 1 or more parcels within
the lease sale that is higher than the national minimum bid
under clause (i).''; and
(2) in subsection (b)(2)(C), by striking ``$2 per acre''
and inserting ``$10 per acre''.
SEC. 4003. INCREASED ONSHORE OIL AND GAS RENTAL RATES.
Section 17(d) of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 226(d))
is amended, in the first sentence--
(1) by striking ``$1.50 per acre'' and inserting ``$3 per
acre''; and
(2) by striking ``$2 per acre'' and inserting ``$5 per
acre''.
SEC. 4004. FEE FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST.
Section 17 of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 226) is
amended by adding at the end the following:
``(q) Fee for Expression of Interest.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall charge any person
who submits, in accordance with procedures established by the
Secretary to carry out this subsection, an expression of
interest in leasing land available for disposition under this
section for exploration for, and development of, oil or gas a
fee, in an amount determined by the Secretary under paragraph
(2).
``(2) Amount.--The fee authorized under paragraph (1) shall
be established by the Secretary in an amount that is
determined by the Secretary to be appropriate to cover the
aggregate cost of processing an expression of interest under
this subsection, but not less than $15 per acre of the area
covered by the applicable expression of interest.''.
SEC. 4005. ADJUSTMENT.
Section 17 of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 226) (as
amended by section 4004) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``(r) Adjustment to Certain Fees.--The Secretary shall--
``(1) not later than 4 years after the date of enactment of
the American Energy Innovation Act of 2020, and at least once
every 4 years thereafter, promulgate regulations adjusting
each of the per-acre dollar amounts of fees imposed under
subsections (b), (d), and (q) and subsections (e) and (f) of
section 31 to reflect the change in the Consumer Price Index
for All Urban Consumers published by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics; and
``(2) as the Secretary determines to be necessary to
enhance financial returns to the United States or to promote
more efficient management of oil and gas resources on Federal
land, promulgate regulations adjusting any of the applicable
per-acre dollar amounts of fees imposed under subsection (b),
(d), or (q) or subsection (e) or (f) of section 31, as
applicable.''.
SEC. 4006. REINSTATEMENT OF COMPETITIVE LEASES.
Section 31 of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 188) is
amended--
(1) in subsection (e)--
(A) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the following:
``(2) payment of back rentals and the inclusion in a
reinstated lease of a requirement for future rentals at a
rate of not less than $20 per acre per year;'';
(B) in paragraph (3)--
(i) in subparagraph (A)--
(I) by striking the subparagraph designation;
(II) by striking ``issued pursuant to the provisions of
section 17(b) of this Act'';
(III) by striking ``16\2/3\'' and inserting ``25''; and
(IV) by inserting ``and'' after the semicolon; and
(ii) by striking subparagraph (B); and
(C) in the second sentence of the undesignated matter
following paragraph (4), by striking ``, but not to exceed
$500''; and
(2) in subsection (f)--
(A) in paragraph (3), by striking ``$5'' and inserting
``$10''; and
(B) in paragraph (4), by striking ``12\1/2\'' and inserting
``25''.
SEC. 4007. FISCAL REFORM STUDY AND REPORT.
(a) In General.--The Comptroller General of the United
States shall offer to enter into an arrangement with the
National Academy of Sciences under which the National Academy
of Sciences, in cooperation with the Comptroller General of
the United States, shall conduct a study evaluating the
efficiency and effectiveness of the implementation of this
title and the amendments made by this title.
(b) Considerations.--The study conducted under subsection
(a) shall include consideration of--
(1) the systems of the Department of the Interior for
collecting and auditing payments under this title and the
amendments made by this title;
(2) the performance of the stewardship of the Department of
the Interior and the disposition of receipts by the
Department of the Interior in carrying this title and the
amendments made by this title; and
(3) the performance of the valuation approach carried out
under this title and the amendments made by this title,
including a review of whether other approaches could more
fully capture foregone revenue of leasing in low-market
conditions in light of other possible economic uses at
different points in the future.
[[Page S1313]]
(c) Report.--If the Comptroller General of the United
States enters into an arrangement with the National Academy
of Sciences under subsection (a), not earlier than 3, but not
later than 5, years after the date of enactment of this Act,
the Comptroller General shall submit to Congress a report
that describes the results of the study conducted under that
subsection.
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